Session 1: Getting Ready for the Skills Strand
Sequence of Sessions
Overarching Objectives of this May 2013 Network Team Institute
1. Participants will be able to accurately identify the instructional and support materials (e.g., cards, posters) required for Skills strand
implementation and will demonstrate use of support materials in ways that coincide with instructional lessons/pacing.
2. Participants will be able to articulate the assessment procedures and tools available in the CKLA Skills strand and will apply this knowledge to
case studies, demonstrating initial placements consistent with the guidance given in CKLA and use of CKLA ongoing assessments to support a
flexible grouping approach.
3. Participants will be able to demonstrate how CKLA Skills strand materials can be used to support a differentiated approach to Tier 1
instruction and will be able to describe how CKLA Skills materials could be incorporated into a multi-tiered approach to K–2 ELA instruction.
4. Participants will be able to identify the student learning goals that will be covered grade by grade (K–2) in the first 60 days of instruction, and
the lesson types that will support this learning.
High-Level Purpose of this Session
Session Description: This session will orient teachers and principals to the materials that are needed to prepare and organize prior to the school
year. This session will support teachers in preparing their physical spaces and classroom routines to support implementation of the Skills strand
and will support principals in understanding how these classrooms may look and run differently with the adoption of CKLA and implications to
their current observational protocols and processes.
Related Learning Experiences
1. This training is the second in a series of trainings on the use of CKLA–NY. It provides background knowledge that will be relevant to upcoming
trainings on implementing additional lessons from the Skills strand to occur at a future date.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of this session?
How will we know that they are able to do this?
In this session teachers will:
1. Become familiar with the critical materials and routines needed to be in place
to support implementation of CKLA.
2. Articulate key adjustments that can be made to the use of existing
materials/routines (e.g., word walls, reading libraries, morning message) to
support high quality implementation of the Skills strand.
3. Diagram a room to reflect the necessary preparation, planning, and
In-session activities.
organization of materials that is needed for high-quality implementation of the
Skills strand.
In this session principals will:
1. Become familiar with the critical materials and routines needed to be in place
to support high-quality implementation.
2. Consider shifts they may need to make when observing existing practices in
teachers’ classrooms (e.g. room setup, word walls, morning messages) to
ensure their support as instructional leaders is consistent with adoption of
CKLA.
Session Overview
Section
Time
Overview
Overview of Skills
Materials
20
This session will orient teachers Materials used include:
and principals to the materials
1. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _PPT.ppt (Slides 2to 18 )
they need to prepare and
2. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _Materials.zip
organize prior to the school
year.
Building Your
Room
20
minutes
This session will present key
Materials used include:
best practices in preparing
1. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _PPT.ppt (Slides 19 to 47)
specific physical spaces and
2. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _Materials.zip
classroom routines to support
_Session1_ZoneNotes.pdf
implementation of Skills strand.
Handouts:
1. Classroom_blank.pdf
2. Classroom_CKLA.pdf (as a reference)
3. ZoneNotes.pdf
Revisit,
Reorganize, and
Reflect
20
minutes
Teachers will synthesize and
Materials used include:
apply room set-up ideas
1. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _PPT.ppt (Slides 48-49)
revising their original setup to
2. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _Materials.zip
reflect the shifts needed to
support CKLA implementation. Handouts:
1. Classroom_Plank.pdf
minutes
Prepared Resources
Facilitator
Preparation
2. ZoneNotesMyClassroomReflection.pdf
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Overview of Skills Strand Materials
Time: 20 minutes
[20 minutes] In this section, you will…
Materials used include:
1. Become familiar with the critical materials and routines needed to 1. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _PPT.ppt (Slides 2to 18 )
be in place to support implementation of CKLA.
2. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _Materials.zip
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions: (Please Note: Here we provide key
ideas per slide. A full script is provided within the power points
slides in the “Notes” view).
GROUP
20
minutes
Slide 2
Key Points:
WG
1. Provide a welcome and introduction.
2. Frame this two day training in light of previous trainings.
3. Frame this two day training as supporting teachers and administrators.
Teachers will dive deeply into what they have to do when using the Skills
Strand. These same experiences, however, lend themselves to administrators
thinking about how they, as instructional leaders, can support
implementation. Both require a strong base in the program, which is the focus
of training and we will provide time for you to make individualized takeaway’s depending upon your role.
Slide 3
Slide 4
Key Points:
1. To get ready to use of the Skills strand in this session, we will orient teachers
and principals to the materials that are needed to prepare and organize prior
to the school year.
2. This session will support teachers in preparing their physical spaces and
classroom routines to support implementation of the Skills strand and will
support principals in understanding how these classrooms may look and run
differently with the adoption of CKLA and implications to their current
observational protocols and processes.
Slide 5
Key Point:
1. Provide an overview of the components of the Skills strand, which includes the
Teacher Guide, the Student Workbook and Readers, a Chaining Folder and Cards,
and an Assessment & Remediation Guide.
Slide 6
Key Points:
1. CKLA provides one teacher set of various components needed to present Skills
strand lessons.
2. It is crucial to become familiar with these components. Understanding the
purpose of each component, how to use them, when to use them, and the best
way to prepare, organize and store them will help with the most effective
implementation of CKLA.
Slide 7
Key Points:
1. There is one Teacher Guide for the Skills strand per unit in Grades K, 1, and 2.
2. The Teacher Guide for the Skills strand outlines the lessons for each unit.
3. The unit introduction and unit appendices will be useful in understanding
objectives, preparation and planning needs.
Slide 8
Key Points:
1. Big Books are provided for 5 titles in kindergarten and 3 titles in first grade as
a way for teachers to model reading for students
2. The Big Books are large format replicas of some of the Student Readers.
Slide 9
Key Points:
1. Blending Picture Cards are provided as visual cues to help students blend
names of objects and items.
2. These names consist of either 2–3 sounds and are therefore suitable for early
blending practice.
3. The set consists of 40 color pictures of objects and items.
Slide 10
Key Points:
1. The Sound Posters are used to display code knowledge on the classroom wall
as each sound is taught.
2. The posters are mounted when a sound is taught for the first time, and the
Sound Cards are added as each spelling and alternative spelling is taught.
Slide 11
Key Points:
1. Large Letter Cards are full paged sized cards with the spellings of each Skills
strand sound spellings.
2. Vowels are shaded.
3. The cards are used for teaching and reviewing sounds and spellings and for
activities like chaining
Slide 12
Key Points:
1. The Timeline Cards feature an image and a sentence depicting an event from
the decodable student reader.
2. Timeline Posters and Cards and displayed to help students understand the
content and context of CKLA stories.
Slide 13
Key Points:
1. CKLA provides specific components specifically for students.
2. Guidance on how and when to use them are given lesson-by-lesson.
3. Teachers will need to make decisions about the management and storage of
these materials in order to make the most efficient use of instructional time.
Slide 14
Key Points:
1. The Skills strand Student Workbooks contain activity and practice pages for the
lessons taught.
2. The workbooks also contain take-home copies of each story contained in the
Student Readers for further reading practice.
3. Answer keys and copies of these practice sheets are included in the “Teacher
Resources” section of the Teacher Guide.
Slide 15
Key Points:
1. The Skills strand readers contain 100% decodable text designed to provide
practice on recently taught spellings.
2. New spellings taught in each unit are printed in bold throughout the unit’s
reader to help students master new material.
Slide 16
Key Points:
1. Students use the Chaining Folders to practice building words with the small
letter cards.
2. Each student should have his or her own folder.
3. The folder has pockets so the small cards can be stored between lessons.
Slide 17
Key Points:
1. The set of two large format Flip Books (one for vowels and one for consonants)
contains both basic and alternative spellings.
2. The Flip Books are used when new sounds are introduced during instruction.
3. Spelling Cards are used with the Code Flip Books.
4. The cards for previously taught spelling of a particular sound are affixed to a
poster.
Slide 18
Key Point:
1. Individual Code Sheets for students provide aid for students to use when
writing and spelling.
Building Your Room
Time: 20 minutes
[20 minutes] In this section, you will…
Materials used include:
1. Learn about key best practices in
preparing specific physical spaces and
classroom routines to support
implementation of Skills Strand.
3. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _PPT.ppt (Slides 19 to 47)
4. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _Materials.zip
_Session1_ZoneNotes.pdf
Handouts:
4. Classroom_blank.pdf
5. Classroom_CKLA.pdf (as a reference)
6. ZoneNotes.pdf
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions: (Please Note: Here we provide key ideas
per slide. A full script is provided within the power points slides in
the “Notes” view).
GROUP
20
Minutes
Slide 19
Key Point:
I
1. Participants will be directed to use the Classroom_blank.pdf handout to draw their
classroom as it was setup last year. Participants may choose the blank grid or the
classroom outline side of the handout.
Slide 20
Key Point:
1. We are going to take a classroom tour and visit each of the specific zones within
and see how curricula and physical space connect.
WG
Slide 21
Key Points:
1. Participants will be directed to use the ZoneNotes.pdf handout to take notes about
preparation, organization of materials in each of the areas in the classroom.
2. For administrators this is a good time to make notes about things they want to look
for as evidence that the preparation for implementation is in place prior to the
school year.
Slide 22
Key Points:
1. We will take a look at a diagram of a classroom to see the way space and curricula
intersect.
2. The four zones of focus are 1. Around The Room, 2. The Rug Area, 3. Small Group
Instruction Area, and 4. Center Area.
3. The fifth area highlighted here represents where the students sit as groups.
Participants may wish to use Classroom_CKLA.pdf as a reference.
Slide 23
Key Point:
1. While space is limited for classroom displays, teachers will need to be strategic and
intentional about saving space and displaying key tools around the room that will
reinforce and serve as student reference to Skills Strand and Listening & Learning
instruction.
Slide 24
Key Points:
1. The sound wall—an important focal point for kindergarten—should be visible
during whole group instruction near rug area.
2. It may include:
a. Word Wall
b. Decodable words
c. Tricky words
d. Spelling trees
e. Student work
I
WG
Slide 25
Key Points:
1. In the kindergarten Skills strand there are 35 Sound Cards: 10 vowel cards and 25
consonant cards.
2. The sound wall is an important focal point for kindergarten. The sound wall
should be visible during whole group instruction near rug area.
Slide 26
Key Points:
1. CKLA suggests creating two word walls. One should be a “tricky word” wall with
yellow index cards.
2. The second word wall you will need to create is a “decodable word” wall. The
decodable word wall should remain up for the whole year in full view of the
students.
3. The suggestion is to display decodable words in green or on green background.
This will help students remember that decodable words will be pronounced with
the spellings they have been taught.
Slide 27
Key Points:
1. CKLA suggests creating a separate wall for the tricky words displayed on yellow
cards.
2. The yellow cards will serve as a reminder to students that these words will have a
part that is tricky.
3. Tricky words are added to the wall as they are taught.
Slide 28
Key Points:
1. Although we are focusing on the Skills strand today, it is important to note that the
Listening & Learning domains will generate work that can be displayed, and
consideration needs to be made about where that designated space will be.
2. Consider creating a domain or concept word wall where domain vocabulary can be
displayed with supporting images.
Slide 29
Key Points:
1. The Listening & Learning strand will generate anchor charts, timelines, shared
writing pieces, student work and domain projects.
2. Display these works for the purpose of reinforcement of instruction for students.
Slide 30
Key Points:
1. Zone 2 is the Whole Group/Rug Area.
2. Skills strand and Listening & Learning whole group lessons will be conducted in
this space.
3. It is anchored by a rug large enough to accommodate the whole class.
Slide 32
Key Point:
1. Consider the specific materials to be displayed and the placement of furniture
needed for teacher modeling and optimal whole group instruction and viewing.
Slide 33
Key Point:
1. For optimal viewing and teacher modeling, a book stand will be needed for Skills
strand Big Books and Listening & Learning Flip Books.
Slide 34
Key Points:
1. Many lessons require modeling on chart paper or using a pocket chart for chaining
activities.
2. You will want to place an easel with chart paper in the most comfortable position
for yourself to model writing, morning message, pocket chart for chaining, etc.
Slide 35
Key Points:
1. The Skills strand and the Listening & Learning strand lessons may include ancillary
materials, such as Sound Blending Cards, Large Letter Cards, Timeline Posters, etc.
2. Keep materials organized, and easily accessible to maximize instructional time.
Slide 36
Key Points:
1. Use CKLA trade book lists as a guide for setting up genre bins for your classroom
library.
2. The classroom library is also a good place to store previously read Student Readers
for easy access and an appropriate reading selection choice.
Slide 37
Key Point:
1. Best practices suggest that a special area is setup for small group instruction
where teachers can provide the individual or small group attention for assessment,
remediation, or guided reading students will need.
Slide 38:
Key Point:
1. For small group instruction, designate a special area in the classroom, that is
conducive to providing individual or small group instruction, while also allowing
the full room to be viewed for classroom management
Slide 39
Key Points:
1. Keep materials organized and easily accessible.
2. Consider using a bookcase to store:
• Assessment and remediation guide,
• Data binder,
• Individual student assessment folders, and
• Pausing point and assessment and remediation guide activities to
use for re-teaching.
Slide 40
Key Point:
1. Creating student centers will allow students to practice the skills that are being
taught, while allowing the teacher time to provide individual or small group
instruction.
Slide 41
Key Points:
1. Consider which centers you will want to set up for your students.
2. Preview the Skills strand lessons and “Pausing Point Activities” to help guide in the
setup of centers for your students.
3. Include items that complement the lessons previously taught.
4. While templates and activity instructions are given in the teacher guides, you can
add commercial items that support the instruction.
Slide 42
Key Points:
1. Space can pose an issue for many classroom setups. There are appropriate
activities that can be put into centers that don’t take up too much space.
2. Check the “Pausing Point Activities” section in the teacher’s guide and the
Assessment &Remediation Guide for activities that can be stored in baggies or small
bins.
Slide 43
Key Point:
1. In the first few Skills units in kindergarten, the emphasis is on fine motor skills. It
will be crucial to allow students to practice the skills that they have learned, as
they are the basis for drawing handwriting, and writing.
Slide 44
Key Points:
1. Set up pocket charts around the room at students’ eye level for chaining practice.
2. Pocket chart chaining practice will help strengthen automaticity of blending and
segmenting skills used for reading and spelling.
3. An easel to practice handwriting strokes will be used in kindergarten.
Slide 45
Key Points:
1. Writing centers and listening centers are favorites among students, and can be
easily managed.
2. Consider placing CDs in the listening center that allows students to hear and
practice sounds or to rehear favorite stories they have read.
Slide 46
Key Point:
1. We focus on this last area in that it is where instruction will happen when students
are working in their workbooks, during the Skills strand reading time, and
chaining activities using the Student Chaining Folders.
Slide 47
Key Point:
1. Students will need easy access to their individual Skills materials at their desks.
Consider how the storage, organization, and distribution of materials will be
managed.
Section 3: Revisit, Reorganize, and Reflect Time: 20 minutes
[20 minutes] In this section, you will…
1. Articulate key adjustments that can be made to the
use of existing materials/routines (e.g., word walls,
reading libraries, morning message) to support highquality implementation of the Skills strand.
2. “Set up” a room to reflect the necessary preparation,
planning, and organization of materials that is needed
for high-quality implementation of the Skills strand.
Materials used include:
3. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _PPT.ppt (Slides 48-49)
4. NTI_July2013_Day1_Session1_ _Materials.zip
Handouts:
3. Classroom_Plank.pdf
4. ZoneNotesMyClassroomReflection.pdf
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions: (Please Note: Here we provide key ideas
per slide. A full script is provided within the power points slides in
the “Notes” view).
GROUP
20
minutes
Slide 48
Key Point:
1. Using a second Classroom_Plank.pdf handout, revisit your original classroom
drawings and zone notes to reorganize your classroom setup.
I
Slide 49
Key Point:
1. Create a list of action items for each zone of your classroom to support the key
changes to support CKLA implementation.
I
Use handout ZoneNotesClassroomReflection.pdf
Use the following icons in the script to indicate different learning modes.
Video
Reflect on a prompt
Active learning
Turnkey Materials Provided
See handouts for lesson type checklists (blank for use during activity; completed to be reflected on after the activity).
Additional Suggested Resources
Turn and talk